1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of sliding door assembly and installation. More particularly, the invention pertains to a novel floor support system for sliding glass or non-glass panels, that act as doors or room dividers, and to a system for supporting them on a floor-level track including means for draining off water that accumulates on the floor or on either side of the door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional devices undergo change as our culture matures. The common door, mounted on hinges along one vertical side and arranged to swing through an arc, has given way in part to panels that slide on tracks and disappear into walls, sandwich with other such panels, spread apart to divide a room, or give access from one room to another. In many cases, a plurality of glass panels slides on a single track or on separate, but closely parallel, tracks to form a temporary wall, to divide a room into smaller rooms, or to provide an opening from one room onto a balcony, onto a patio, onto a swimming pool area and the like.
A significant problem with these types of sliding panels occurs where one side of the panels faces outside the home or building toward the elements. Rain, sleet or snow hitting the glass and panel is drawn downward by gravity so that it puddles at the bottom of the panel and, when in great enough quantities, spills over onto the tracks upon which the panels are mounted for sliding movement. In other situations, the floor on one side of the track is slanted such that rain or melted snow runs toward the track. Once the moisture reaches the tracks, problems develop because of the many directions the moisture may flow. For instance, it sometimes flows under the panel and into a room wetting carpets and rugs that thereafter become stained, crispy, or develop an organic growth that causes bad odors and attracts insects. The moisture sometimes flows outward from the panel and stains concrete or causes deterioration of cement and wood flooring, or corrodes the glue that holds down floor coverings such as linoleum, parquet, and vinyl squares.
Often the moisture draws dirt, dust, small insects and bits of leaves and flowers toward the track system. Accumulation of this debris causes the wheels mounted on the panels to become harder to rotate and, in severe cases, seize and refuse to turn, making the panel difficult to move in its intended path. Cleaning these tracks is often difficult and all the debris is rarely removable due to the closeness of the tracks. Often, the panels must be removed and this can be a difficult task. In winter seasons, the moisture often freezes thereby anchoring the panel to its present position and eliminating the desirability of having slidable panels in the first place.
In severe cases, the moisture puddles in the tracks and the subfloor on which the tracks are mounted is weakened. Concrete will crack under freezing and thawing of water and wood beams and wood floors can become weakened by constant exposure to water. Often, the mere beginning of such damage will cause tilting of the tracks and unbalancing of the load of the panels so that they refuse to slide easily along the tracks. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that will capture the moisture and convey it from the track system before such problems begin to develop.